Mission Incredible instead of Mission Impossible

Directed by James Moll and narrated and executive-produced by Matt
Damon, RUNNING THE SAHARA is a uplifting and socially aware documentary
chronicling the 111-day run coast to coast across the Sahara Desert
completed by a team of three experienced runners (Charlie Engle from
America, Ray Zahab from Canada, and Kevin Lin from Taiwan).

Initiated by Ray simply because no human being has ever done it before,
the three agree to undertake this challenge together. Each has their
character and motivation, but they accomplish the expedition
collectively. This film details the journey's physical and emotional
impact on the runners. It is about team-spirit, challenge, discovery,
and most importantly believing and materialising one's dream.

The group's incredible voyage which covers 6 countries is met with
various problems (the heat, sand storms, unknown visa and terrorist
situation, injuries, and even self-doubt). Yet their strenuous
experience is not without joyous and touching moments such as the
arrival of their family, encouragement from friends, and the village
children's greeting and running along with them.

This character-driven film provides a complex picture of
culturally-vibrant Africa  its mysteriously beautiful but extremely
merciless desert, and its acute water problems (evidenced through the
7-year-old boy left alone in wilderness to wait for the return of his
water-searching parents, and the primitive well-digging method). With
the charitable H2O Africa campaigning for clean water being a component
of the expedition, it is for sure that to ease the water crisis in the
Continent will no longer remain a unfulfilled mission impossible.

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9 out of 10 people found the following review useful:

interesting yet annoying

this is a great documentary which is handicapped by the overwhelming
assholery of the lead runner. socially conscious and well filmed in
parts of the world that most Americans know little to nothing about,
the movie only drags when the lead runner is either having a tantrum or
acting in a manner befitting Machiavelli. the sight of the Sahara
desert seems the only locale big enough to move comfortably about with
his over inflated ego unencumbered. a scene late in the movie has the
organizer trying to explain that he has to leave and the run has gone
over schedule, that he has prior engagements, yet the lead runner and
central character seems to act like a juvenile in exaggerating the
whole thing to some kind of horrible betrayal. then very late in the
movie he convinces the other two runners that he can't run, only walk
and that they should stay behind and rest and catch up to him as he
walks. then completely disregarding what he has told them he runs
anyways forcing them to play catch up. the whole thing comes off as
manipulative, the egotistical actions of some inner psycho drama. this
pecker doesn't deserve the hot wife who occasionally pops up in the
movie, he seems like on of those preternaturally obsessed characters
from the Hostel movies.

when the prima donna isn't engaging in his drama queen antics there's
moments of great beauty and informative analysis. one observation notes
of a nomadic people on the Niger border for whom freedom of travel is
so central to their life that they refer to houses as "tombs of the
living". of course that's easy to say for people who have probably
never been much of anywhere else in the world but their familiar
grounds.

6 out of 10

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3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:

Endurance,Thy Name Is Charlie,Kevin & Ray

Running The Sahara is a documentary about how three long distance
runners manage to take on a near impossible feat:running across the
continent of Africa,from the west,to Egypt. Charlie Engle,Kevin Lin &
Ray Zahab took the risk,mainly because nobody else had ever done it. We
see as the three start their journey in the west,and over a period of
111 days,and thousands of miles,manage to attempt something that has
never been done before. James Moll,known mainly for his work as a
documentary film maker for television,turns in a fine portrayal of the
endurance of the human spirit. Along the way,the hapless three come
across many stunning sights in the deserts,encounter a number of desert
dwellers (including a seven year old boy who had never seen a white
person before),and try & help some of the water issues plaguing some of
the areas they come across. As with any undertaking of this sort,at
times things are not so rosy (they deal with attitude
issues,pain---both physical,as well as emotional,and other things
associated with people concentrated together for a period of time).
Some crisp cinematography & editing make this a fine film that would be
at home either on the theater screen,but would play equally well on the
small screen,too. Matt Damon supplies some fine narration for this
outing (and was equally instrumental in assisting in the Africa H2O
project to bring much needed water to areas in the desert). Spoken
mainly in English,but also has some Cantonese & French,with English
subtitles. Not rated by the MPAA,but contains some brief strong
language.

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2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:

interesting and engaging documentary

i thought this was a very interesting,engaging documentary.it shows
what you can achieve will a lot of will determination,and drive.the
narration(by Matt Damon)is very good,but minimal,which is a good
thing.the film is about the three runners after all,so the focus should
be mostly on them.though a lot of the film is just desert,(which is
spectacular,and you get an idea of the vastness,)there are times when
the runners do encounter some beautiful scenery along the way.they also
meet some interesting people,as well.it would have been nice to have a
followup with the runners after some times had passed to get there
reflection on the experience then,and see how what their thoughts were
at that point and what else they had planned,if anything(there is a
brief snippet about that during the end credits,but nothing in
depth.still,i enjoyed it.for me,Running the Sahara is an 8/10

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:

Amazing feat--and a film that captures it well

Running 4,500 miles is something most of us will never do, so how lucky
we are to have a film that shows three men and a small support crew
doing exactly this.

The documentary's biggest strength is its realistic account of ways
that team members dealt with the inevitable struggles among them and
with the doubts in each one's minds about the constant challenges,
mental and physical. At the end one of the runners comments that we are
all limited by the goals we set for ourselves. Words to live by! Anyone
who sees this film is likely to consider expanding his or her personal
goals.

Given the impossible terrain--with sandstorms, heat, and access to
virtually no local technology--the cinematography is outstanding,
capturing the unimaginable beauty of the desert and handsomeness of the
lonely, unfamiliar places the runners encountered.

At a few points when the team's mood was low, the film sank into an
uncomfortable, bitchy reality TV format. Regrettably also, the coverage
of the diversity of cultures and geography they ran past was
necessarily cursory (note pun opportunity here). But the reward for
enduring these shortcomings is an unparalleled opportunity to
experience untold human strength.